Are killer whales splitting into two species? It looks like it:
Scientists have revealed that there is not one but two types of killer whale living in UK waters. Each differs in its appearance and diet, with males of one type being almost two metres longer than the other.
The killer whales could be at an early stage of becoming two separate species, the researchers say. The international group of scientists has published its results in the journal Molecular Ecology.
“It’s exciting to think about two very different types of killer whale in the waters around Britain,” says Dr Andy Foote from the University of Aberdeen, UK, who undertook the study.
One group of orcas of the coast of California seems to have discovered how to kill sharks by turning them upside down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uBFUumm3Dk
How exciting! I wonder if they can find bones that show the transition from one species into two.
It’s micro evolution! God’s preset evolution limit for killer whales is obviously quite wide! There is no transitional fossil! Horses and zebras do not have a common ancestor even though they can succesfully breed! LALALALA I’M NOT LISTENING!
/fundiemode
LOL, the god his design is so bad that he has to make 2 species just in case the other one was badly designed. LOL
If killer whales descended from whales, then why are there still whales?!
If killer whales descended from killers, why are there still killers?!
Yes, but are the cows still mad??
Do they really deserve that name? I mean I’ve never heard of a killer shark and yet they are more notorious killers than killer whales (which are relatively friendly, by the way). And if killing is such a distinguishing species feature, shouldn’t humans be called killer apes? I mean, it’s our forte.
I really hope you’re not questioning SCIENCE… that’s simply not allowed here.
Watch a video sometime of an orca thrashing a sea lion to death.
The name is apt.
I bought my lady the box-set of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet for Crimbo – lots of stuff like that on there. There’s also a film of them killing a blue whale calf – they hunt in packs, just like wolves.
I’m sure that sea lion was asking for it.
Watching sea lions make snacks out of cute waddling penguins is enough to put anyone off the Naturalistic Fallacy for a little while.
“Watching sea lions make snacks out of cute waddling penguins is enough to put anyone off the Naturalistic Fallacy for a little while.”
Maybe they should be called killer sea lions?
And what about Killer Dolphins!? http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/14p70 oO
Don’t killer whales have foot bones inside there? Or is that a different species of whale? It would be awesome if they started walking on land again.
Killer whales walking on land again? Sounds like a horror movie.
Or an SNL skit.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28315
LOL@this thread
Maybe that’s why they keep beaching themselves – they’re trying to visit their grandparents!
Dolphins do that too. Maybe they are also attempting to move onto the land. Maybe they are going to kick US off of the land and we’ll have to swim for life. Maybe that’s why people are becoming obese… lots of insulation to live underwater and to help us float!
Wow… Bovine Americans = Walruses…. Why did I never think of this?!
I’m an associative thinker =)
Hey, that makes Americans more evolutionarily advanced than other thinner cultures. We’re ready for the melting of the ice caps!
No, they’re trying to evolve back to land animals. They’re tired of the ocean life.
Give them time, evolution is a gradual process.
All whales have a vestigial pelvis, which is a remminent of their quadruped land ancestors (either that or the result of a smudge on god plan that was interpreted as a pelvic bone when sent to the manufacturing floor)
Since god is perfect, it can’t be option #2…
I wonder if this is a separate group again from the non-interbreeding groups found around North America? According to Wikipedia, researchers studying the North American and Antarctic populations of Orca have been arguing for anything up to 4 or 5 types, subspecies or species since the 1980′s. I think there was an article in Nat Geo a couple of years ago which talked about three separate, non-interbreeding populations just around the North American continent. If these two groups are different from the North American ones, that’d make up to 7 possible species, or even more interesting, a species that appears to be evolving 7 different directions. Cool!
Mogg is correct; this is pretty old news. Still fascinating, though.
Well according to something I read, there were two of each species taken aboard the ark. It’s possible that even the animals that lived in water were floating alond side the ark. ???? So I would not believe such species is just now inexistence, maybe just now being discovered by the human race.
It sure is “exciting” to know that even in each persons lifetime, you’ll never discover all the things God made.
“killer whales”? Is that the same species as killer humans?
Wow, are you on the wrong site to be selling that crap.
@Ty
So how did fossils get at the top of mountains then smarty pants!
Don’t you mean “killer apes”?
Not trying to sell crap. Leave that to the government and its employees. Twas amazing subject/views. Just added to it to stir the coal. It works! They do exist.
Jabster, it’s simple, fossils move from place to place by humans and animals(wait we are of the animal kingdom right?)
Did you not know that? Use the daily concecration of graves in Egypt as proof. Those are fossils are they not? People are always trying to find and examine something outside of themself. You know make up job, apply for gov’t funding, stake a claim(false at large), fool the people who don’t think for self, and voila death, then fossils.
Are you buying it?
Nomad, I meant just as stated…. killer humans. TYVM ALL
I’ll call Poe on this …
I’ll call…. WTF was he even saying? I am deeply confused.